Friday 24 May - Requiem for the Beachburg Subdivision

Today Henk and I drove to Fitzroy and Portage du Fort to see the two bridges over the Ottawa River on the soon to be abandoned CNR line.  We then went on to Beachburg where the rails are already being lifted. We went to Fitzroy first.

 

 It was a blustery day and the river was running very swiftly.  We came into conversation with Lorne Clark who lives close to the Fitzroy bridge.  Lorne's wife Gail, has taken several pictures of the bridge over the years and shared the following ones with us.

Fitzroy Bridge in winter taken by Gail Clark. Not to be copied without permission.

Fitzroy Bridge taken by Gail Clark. Not to be copied without permission.

A train of military vehicles on the Fitzroy Bridge taken by Gail Clark. Not to be copied without permission.

From Fitzroy we took the ferry across to Quebec and went to Portage du Fort.  To get to see the bridge it was necessary to walk in.

A 1967 date nail firmly embedded in the tie,  We found several of these 46 year-old ties in the track.

 

At Beachburg the rails in the plain track have been lifted leaving just the switches to be lifted.

The rail train was stabled between Beachburg and Foresters Falls for the weekend.

Saturday 11 May - Hobby House 60th and getting ready for the trip

Hobby House celebrated its 60th anniversary today.  Larry Lanctot took these pictures of the celebrations.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/larrys_model_railway/sets/72157633456788749/

We leave for the UK on Friday May 31 and Mary is beginning to pack her bag already.  Twenty days to go - I think this must be a record.

Monday May 6 - The Tulips and other Interesting Things.

Mary and I took the 85 bus to Dows Lake to see the tulips at Commissioners Park.  They are late this year but several varieties were well in bloom.  There were not too may people here on a Monday but I expect it was crowded over the weekend.

Daffodils mixed in with the tulips made a pleasant effect.

 We came back on the same ticket with our Presto cards

This sculpture had been reinvigorated and now stands outside the Union Station (Government Conference Centre)

The Fair Jeanne spends the winter in one of the locks where it can be worked on.  I caught it on its way back to spend the summer at Dows lake.

May 1 - The Benefits of Eyelid Surgery

Just under a week after my surgery I had a little time to spare before catching the bus.  I was sitting on a bench in City Hall opposite the Inquiry Desk at which sat a pretty young thing.  My eyes were tired and I found it soothing to close one for a little while then close the other etc.  After a couple of minutes I realized that the girl was smiling at me.  It was time to leave and I walked over to apologize but there was a couple asking complicated directions so we never got to speak.

April 25 - Eyelid surgery

To repair a problem with excess tearing in my eyes Dr. Pirbhai, my ophthalmologist, carried out bilateral ectropion repair and punctoplasty.  Getting to the surgery at 1655 Kilborn was an adventure.  The 148 bus from Hurdman normally runs every 30 minutes but at this time of day there are buses running every 5 minutes or so for the kids going to Canterbury High School.  The kids were surprisingly well behaved and as a result of the increased frequency I was there in very good time.

The nurse had to fill in a form with me which included questions about potential allergic reaction to various anaesthetics all of which had very long names and none of which were familiar.  The last time I had an anaesthetic was in 1987 and before that in 1948 so I wasn't able to help much.

The nurse comes from Mountain and she was surprised that I had heard of the place.  I was able to assure her that the CPR did have a station there.

The anaesthetist said I would be under a mild anaesthetic and that although I would be awake I probably wouldn't remember much about the operation.  I said "I don't like the idea of someone coming at my eye with a knife", to which he replied, "That's what most people say."  In the event, I remember everything pretty well, including chatting with the surgeon while he was cutting away.
"I can smell burning."
"That's your skin!"
I don't remember the knife bit so maybe he came at me from the side or I have conveniently forgotten that part.

Mary guided me home in a taxi.  The first day before the bandages came off it didn't look too bad.

Friday - not a pretty sight

By Saturday the bruising was pretty extensive.

To bring the swelling down I have been resting with a cold compress over both eyes listening to music.  Mozart works very well.  If anybody asks I am putting out the story that I got this while foiling a bank robbery down the street.

I had planned to go out for a short walk on Friday but Mary said "Are you sure you want to go out looking like that?" so I decided to stay in.

She said the same on Saturday morning even though I offered to wear make up.  I thought "Bugrit" and went out anyway.   I don't think anybody noticed and if someone had commented I would have retorted "You should see the other guy."

Sunday 31 March - My Easter Tradition

My Easter breakfast is a cream filled chocolate egg in a warm Hot Cross Bun.

I saw a large skein of Canada Geese yesterday morning - flying south!  Maybe they know something we don't know.

February 28 - A Snowy Day in Ottawa

Today was at the end a heavy storm of particularly wet snow.  Tree branches were heavily coated although the the snow was melting quickly because temperatures were well above freezing.  I took some pictures in Majors' Hill Park where the only other people around were dog owners.  One dachshund was struggling through the snow with its short legs.  Good job it had a coat on or its tummy would have been very cold.

 

 

York Street Steps